Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 669: The opponent eliminated early!
The game between the Timberwolves and the Lakers is coming to an end.

In the stands, the Lakers fans were like eggplants beaten by frost, sitting on their seats one by one without saying a word.

There were less than thirty seconds left in the game. The score on the courtside scoreboard was 108:93. The point difference reached 15 points. The Timberwolves had an absolute advantage over the Lakers.

The Lakers' failure is actually a foregone conclusion, and there is no suspense at all.

In today's game, the Lakers were crushed by the Timberwolves in terms of absolute strength. After one game, many Lakers players were very upset.

The team's leader, O'Neal, struggled in today's game. Under the Timberwolves' defensive system, O'Neal was unable to fully utilize his personal abilities.

His personal score was "only" 19 points, not even 20 points.

It seems to be a scoring data that can be called "excellent", but neither Lakers fans nor O'Neal himself would be proud of his "achievement" in this game.

After all, for a superstar of his level to produce such data is not something worth bragging about.

In addition to O'Neal's poor performance in today's game, Eddie Jones's performance was not outstanding and was not consistent with his All-Star status.

It's just that Eddie Jones and O'Neal are somewhat different. O'Neal was targeted by his opponents, while Eddie Jones was targeted by his teammates.

This teammate is of course Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers will suffer such a big loss from the Timberwolves, and a large part of the reason lies with Kobe.

Made 19 of 5 shots from the field.

Not to mention extremely inefficient, Kobe also took a lot of ball rights that should have belonged to Eddie Jones and the others when he was on the court.

Kobe got into trouble during the battle with the Timberwolves. After Kobe calmed down a little, the Lakers had no chance of turning defeat into victory.

The game lasted less than thirty seconds, and the Timberwolves even had the ball. However, the Timberwolves players were also very sensible. When the victory was established, they did not chase the Lakers to attack, but slowly dribbled the ball. Killing the rest of the game time.

On the side of the court, Wu Dao was sitting on the bench, with a sweat towel hanging around his neck, holding a sports drink made by the team in one hand, quietly looking at the substitutes on the court, waiting for the whistle to end the game.

With the victory confirmed, Coach Philip replaced Wu Dao on the court early and asked Wu Dao to sit on the sidelines and rest. Most of the Timberwolves on the court at this time were substitutes, with only Wallace and Garnett still on the court.

Philip did not replace the two of them just in case. If the Lakers had unselfish intentions and suddenly broke out, the two defensive experts, Garnett and Wallace, could respond in time.

But it's obvious that Coach Philip's worries are unnecessary. The Lakers players have been drained of energy and have no intention of giving it a final try.

As the final buzzer sounded, Chris on the court threw the ball into the sky with both hands and rushed to the dugout with cheers.

At the end of the game, Wu Dao stood up from his seat with a smile, walked to the sideline and gave hugs to his teammates who were coming off the field one by one.

The Timberwolves players were jubilant after winning. However, unlike the Timberwolves, the Lakers' rest area was now completely silent. There was no smile on everyone's face, including the head coach. Even O'Neal, who had always been optimistic, was sitting on the bench dully, looking at the scoreboard without saying a word.

After Wu Dao greeted his teammates on the sidelines and left the court, he walked toward the Lakers' dugout with Roberts and Garnett.

Before leaving the game, it's polite to say hello to today's opponent, isn't it?
Roberts and O'Neal were teammates in college, and Wu Dao and Kobe had a pretty good relationship. As for Garnett, he considered himself to be good friends with the Lakers players.
After leading the team members to the Lakers' rest area, Wu Dao first shook hands with the Lakers coach and then walked up to O'Neal and stretched out his hand:

"What's wrong, Shaquille?"

"It's just a regular season game, so you're stunned?"

Wu Dao asked with a smile. His words also brought O'Neal back to his senses. Looking at the Timberwolves in front of him, O'Neal stood up, held Wu Dao's hand, and after lightly touching Wu Dao's shoulders, he replied:

"You know, I'm a good player and a good leader."

"It is necessary to do a simple review after the strength, isn't it?"

O'Neal returned to normal. I have to say, this guy is really thick-skinned!
"Really? Such a positive review?"

"Shaquille, do you know why you Lakers lost?"

Garnett doesn't know when he started to have some friendship with O'Neal. Maybe it's because they were teammates in the All-Star Game?
At this time, Garnett heard O'Neal talk about his review and couldn't help but ask with a smile.

He expected to hear some words of praise for himself from O'Neal. Of course, it didn't matter if he didn't praise him. If Garnett scolded him, Garnett would be even happier~
It's his defense that impressed O'Neal today.

"My teammates didn't pass the ball and missed a lot of opportunities."

"I did the math. If he gave me those balls, I would definitely be able to score them."

"In this game, it won't be a problem for me to score 40+. In this way, we, the Lakers, will win!"

No one expected O'Neal to say such a thing. After hearing this, the Lakers players on both sides of O'Neal's seat subconsciously turned their heads and looked at Kobe, who was looking down at the ground a little further away.

After hearing this, several members of the Timberwolves also glanced sideways at Kobe, who was not far away.

"Stop it, Shaquille."

"You are the leader of the Lakers. If you lose, you can't take the blame!"

"It's your problem, you were guarded by me!!!"

Garnett withdrew his gaze, not sure whether it was to support Kobe or simply to improve his ability and ridicule O'Neal. In short, after Garnett said these words, O'Neal smiled after a brief moment of surprise, and then smiled and cursed at Garnett:

"Get lost."

"You Timberwolves can win, don't you rely on martial arts?"

O'Neill said, patting Wu Dao's arm gently. When Garnett heard this, he had no intention of refuting, but just emphasized his importance again:

"He is the outside pillar and I am the inside pillar."

"We are both the same."

While Garnett and O'Neal were chatting, Wu Dao had already let go of O'Neal's hand. After greeting several Lakers players, he immediately walked up to Kobe.

Kobe seemed to feel something. He raised his head and looked at Wu Dao in front of him. Although his face was still expressionless, Kobe still stood up slowly and shook Wu Dao's hand politely.

Kobe seemed to be in a bad mood. He should have heard what O'Neal just said, and Kobe should also know that O'Neal's words meant him.

It's just that Kobe didn't refute anything. He made 19 of 5. It's a dish. There's nothing to refute.

Kobe admitted that he played badly. He has never been the kind of person who cannot accept criticism.

"Next time, next time I fight you, I will definitely become stronger!"

"I will prove that I am the best!"

The defeat did not dampen Kobe's self-confidence. He became more courageous with every setback. This is the kind of person he is.

"it is good!"

"Looking forward to our next match." Wu Dao smiled upon hearing this, and after a few brief greetings with Kobe, Wu Dao led Garnett and others back to his team.

After Wu Dao and others from the Timberwolves left, the smile on O'Neal's face faded, he turned his head to look at Kobe, and said with some dissatisfaction:

"Kobe, I know you really want to beat Wu Dao."

"He is a younger rookie than you. There is not much age difference between the two of you. You can be considered the same age."

"But I have to remind you, when you are playing, can you look at your teammates?"

"Can you pass the ball? Pass the ball?"

"If you play normally today, we will definitely beat the Timberwolves!"

What O'Neal said to Garnett before was not a joke. He was serious. He seriously believed that Kobe Bryant held him back in today's game, causing the team to lose the game.

"I'm just playing normally."

"Every shot I take is an opportunity!"

Kobe is not inferior to O'Neal at all. Although he is only a "rookie", he is already an All-Star. He is even called "the person most like Michael" by the media. He thinks that he can talk to O'Neal on an equal footing.

"f**k!"

"One versus two, with Kevin's help, there's still a chance, right?"

"Take the three-pointer and pull it out by yourself? You have to have a martial arts shooting percentage. I will tolerate your words, but do you have it?!"

Kobe's words completely ignited O'Neal's anger. He was already very frustrated when he was playing on the court. The way Kobe played on the court also made him very dissatisfied. But after all, in front of so many media and audiences, he was a little angry. , he didn’t want to send it out.

He himself was suppressing the anger in his heart. When he heard Kobe's words, he directly detonated O'Neal.

O'Neal was swearing, but he still showed restraint. His curse was not loud and could only be heard by his teammates in the dugout.

"It doesn't matter to you, just play your own game."

“I can’t even get the ball, I can’t attack it if I get it, I can’t rebound it.”

"Just mind yourself before talking about others."

Kobe is a very competitive person, which is not only reflected on the court, but also off the court.

Kobe's words made O'Neal's eyelids jump.

Basketball is a five-on-five sport.

What does it mean to prepare yourself well?

If he plays one against two inside, will it be useful no matter how well he plays? If basketball is a sport where you only need to play well to win, why didn't Jordan win a few championships before Pippen grew up? !

Every player is closely connected on the court, and his or her individual playing style will affect the performance of his teammates.

O'Neal himself is a point guard. In his eyes, Kobe had a big problem in today's game. This problem was one of the main reasons for the team's loss.

Of course, it is an indisputable fact that he was suppressed by the Timberwolves, but precisely because he was restricted, he needed the help of his teammates to open up the situation.

But my teammates did it themselves
Kobe Bryant's words
This is unacceptable to O'Neal.

"Strengthen yourself well? Can you win if you play well with yourself?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Kobe, wake up, this is basketball, a sport for five people!"

"If I play well and I can win, what do I want my teammates to do?!"

Since O'Neal entered the Magic as the No. 1 pick, he has always been treated favorably by his teammates. He has a high starting point, a good personality, and terrifying strength. Whether he is with the Magic or with the Lakers, He gets along well with his teammates.

Teammates also give O'Neal face, and O'Neal often does whatever he says.

There are really not many people who refuse to give him face in front of so many people and talk back.

O'Neal said, suddenly stood up from his seat, came to Kobe aggressively, and glared at Kobe.

Kobe raised his head and looked at O'Neal in front of him, staring straight at O'Neal without any fear on his face.

He didn't say anything, he just looked at O'Neal like this, the unconvinced arrogance in his eyes made O'Neal's face tremble slightly.

O'Neal doesn't know if the leaders of other teams will encounter such teammates, and he doesn't know how others will deal with them when they encounter them.

O'Neal really made him meet today.

How to do?
Are you going to teach Kobe a lesson? In front of tens of thousands of fans and media reporters who have not yet left the stadium? Is it embarrassing in front of outsiders?

Just pretend that nothing happened? Where should he put O'Neal's face?

Tell the coach? Use your identity to suppress Kobe? Stop making trouble, what's the difference between quarreling with a primary school student and suing the teacher?
O'Neal stared at Kobe, thinking about using his momentum to force Kobe to retreat. However, Kobe just stared at O'Neal blankly, showing no fear at all.
Kobe's attitude also set O'Neal up.
"What are you two doing!?"

"Hurry up and stop!"

"You have so much energy, why didn't you release it during the competition just now?"

"Kobe, you played very badly today. If you don't reflect on it, you won't have to play in the next game!"

"Shaquille, you have the energy to lose your temper, why not practice your damn free throws!"

Just when the conflict between Kobe and O'Neal was about to intensify, coach Del Harris noticed something unusual about the two and quickly stopped him.

Although Del Harris is not a master of water management, given his status, it is easy to suppress conflicts temporarily.

Kobe is currently just a substitute and a rookie. Coach Harris knows whose face to protect. But Kobe is already an All-Star after all, and it's not enough to completely sacrifice his face. That's why Harris has this operation of playing 50 rebounds each.

After hearing Harris' words, O'Neal pointed at Kobe, walked down the steps, turned around, and walked toward the lounge angrily.

After Kobe Bryant left, he just glanced at O'Neal's back with a cold expression and didn't think there was anything wrong with him.

Everything that happened in the Lakers rest area was seen by Wu Dao. Seeing O'Neal leaving, Wu Dao couldn't help but let out a chuckle:
"Stick head."

"I still have a headache."

"Harris can't handle the relationship between O'Neal and Kobe."

"Don't worry about this year's Lakers."